Ice cube dispensers



Nov. 4, 1958v o. B. LUND 2,859,009

ICE CUBE DISPENSERS FledvJuly 2, 1956 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. 'gzf5. ff/Y0 WIA( United States Patent @ffice 2,859,009 Patented Nov. 4,1958 ICE CUBE DISPENSERS Ole B. Lund, Havre, Mont. Application July 2,1956, Serial No. 595,177

2 Claims. (Cl. 249-45) .This invention relates to a coin-actuateddispenser for dispensing ice and more particularly to a dispenser fordispensing the ice in small pieces such as the popular ice cubes used inbeverages. Dispensers are available at present for dispensing containersof cracked or cube ice. For use in such dispensers, however, the icemust be previously weighed and packaged in uniform sacks or cartonswhich are delivered by the dispenser as a complete closed package.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a piece icedispenser which can be economically installed in the present dispensercooler boxes, and which will continuously manufacture ice in the pieceform desired and in direct proportion to the demands for ice without thenecessity for prior packaging.

Another object of the invention is to provide means which upon receiptof the proper coin or coins will eiiiciently and accurately deliver theice pieces, more particularly ice cubes, in bulk and in measured amountsto a receptacle or bag provided either by the customer or the lessee ofthe dispenser.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy and efficiency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numeralsrefer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved ice cube dispenser, illustratingit in place in a conventional cooler box, as it would appear with thenear wall of the cooler box removed to reveal the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the dispenser of Fig. 1 as it would appear withthe top of the cooler box removed to reveal the interior structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of an ice weighing mechanism employed inthe improved dispenser; and

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating the electrical control circuitsof the improved dispenser.

For convenience in description, the device will be described aspertaining to ice cubes. It could, however, be employed for dispensingice balls, ice chips, chopped ice, or any other piece form of ice. Whilethe device has been more particularly designed to be installed in thepresent dispensing storage cooler boxes, it can, of course, be enclosedand employed as a separate unit. In the drawing a conventional coolerbox of the type employed in present coin-actuated ice-dispensingdevices, is illustrated at 10, with the improved ice cube mechanisminstalled therein.

The improved ice cube mechanism makes use of any of the continuous typesof ice cube or ice chip freezers presently available on the market. Sucha conventional, pontinuous ice cube freezer is diagrammaticallyindicated on the drawing at 11. The cubes discharging from the freezer11 are received in a storage bin 12 which is substantially rectangularin plan and V-shaped in cross section with a semi-cylindrical roundedbottom. The bin 12 may be supported from a supporting member 13 securedto the rear wall of the cooler 10 and from an angle iron supportingframe 14 supported upon suitable supporting legs 15.

A scroll conveyor shaft 16 extends longitudinally of the bin 12 axiallyof the rounded bottom thereof. The shaft 16 is journalled in suitableshaft journals 17 in the end walls of the bin 12 and is electricallydriven in any desired manner, such as through the medium of a firstelectric motor 18 which transmits power to the shaft 16 at reduced speedthrough a conventional speed reducer 19.

The shaft 16 is provided with a relatively long helical scroll 20 of onehand and a similar relatively short, helical scroll 21 of opposite hand.The scrolls 20 and 21 are so inclined that when the shaft 16 rotates,ice cubes will be carried inwardly from both extremities of the bin 12to an open space 22 between the two scrolls.

A rotatable screw-type elevating conveyor 23, enclosed within a tubularconveyor housing 24, extends downwardly at an angle through the frontwall of the bin 12 and terminates adjacent the bottom of the bin 12 inthe open space 22 between the two scrolls 20 and 21. The top of theconveyor housing 24 is cut away within the bin so that the ice cubesdelivered by the scrolls 20 and 21 may enter therein. in actual servicethe scrolls 20 and 21 have a diameter of 16 inches, while the screwconveyor 23 has a diameter of 4 inches.

The conveyor housing 24 extends forwardly and upwardly in the cooler box10 and is supported at its forward extremity in a suitable angle ironframe 25 bolted or otherwise secured to the ceiling of the cooler 10adjacent the front wall thereof. The screw conveyor 23 is driven from asecond electric motor 26 through any conventional speed reducer 27 and auniversally jointed shaft 28. The motors and speed reducers are such asto rotate the scroll conveyor shaft 16 at approximately twelverevolutions per minute, while the screw conveyor 23 rotates atapproximately 230 revolutions per minute.

The bottom of the upper extremity of the conveyor housing 24 is providedwith a discharge opening'29 through which ice cubes are discharged intoa weighing scoop 30. The weighing scoop 30 4is secured to and supportedbetween two tiltable side arms 31 which are afxed to and which extendfrom a rotatable scale shaft 32 mounted in suitable bearing boxes 33 inthe angle iron frame. The scoop 30 is counter-balanced by means of acounterbalance weight 34 which is adjustably mounted on a counterbalancearm 35 secured to and extending forwardly from the scale shaft 32. Theweight 34 is adjusted on the arm 35 so that it will slightly exceed theweight of the scoop 30 so as to constantly urge the scoop upwardly. Thedownward swing of the arm 35 is stopped at a preset point by means of astop screw 58 positioned in a cross bar 57 in the frame 25.

The scoop 30 is supported in the horizontal cubereceiving position ofFig. 1 by means of an elongated spring-loaded tiltable latch bar 36which is mounted upon a pivot pin 37 extending outwardly from one of theside arms 31. The forward extremity of the latch bar 36 is constantlyurged upwardly against a fixed stop clip 60 by means of a tension spring38, the tension in which can be adjusted by means of an adjusting nut 39threaded on an eye bolt 40 from which the spring 38 is suspended. Thebolt 40 extends through a supporting ear 41 aixed to one side of thescoop 30.

The rear extremity of the latch bar 36 engages and rests upon the upperextremity of an adjustable keeper member42, which-is pivotally mountedvupon a pivot pin 43 projecting inwardly froml the angle iron frame 25.The keeper member 42 is constantly urged toward .the arcuate path oftheV lat'chbar-36 by means `of a coiled wire spring 44. The amountofprojection ofthe keeper member' 42 intothe path of thel latch'member36 -can 'be adjusted by'meansof-a set screw 4S whichl issupported from lthe* frame 25'in`- the path of the lowerextremity of thekeeper member 42.

As the iceV cubesare delivered by the screw conveyor 23 through theopening 29 and into the scoop 30, the weight therein-willgradually-increase. This'weight, acting downwardly on thepivot'pin 37,will urge the forward extremity of the latch bar 36' downwardly againstthe resistance ofthe loading spring 38. The latch bar 36 will continueto tilt until therear extremity of the latch bar 36 slips downwardlypast-I the keeper member 42, so` as to allow the entire-scoop and itscontentsfto swing downwardly to a substantially vertical position todump the contained cubes. `When the cubes are discharged, thecounterweight. 34 will return the scoop toits cube receiving position.As vthe scoop approaches the latter position, Ythe rear. extremity ofthe latch bar 36 engages the upper extremity of the keeper member 42 andvforces it rearwardly againstvithenaction of the spring 44 until itsnaps beneaththe latchbar 36 tofagain support the scoopin thereceivingposition of Fig. 3 to receivea second load.

The cubeslfare. dumped from the scoop 30 into a funnel-shaped 'hopper 46formed upon the upper extremity of a delivery chute 47 which dischargesthrough the front wall ofzthe cooler box 10 into a cube-receiving hood48. The bottom portion of the hood 48 is normally closed by means ofY aspring-hinged dump door 49 which may be opened by the customer todischarge the cubes into a. suitable sack or other receptacle positionedon a sack shelf 50 as indicated in broken line at S9 in Fig. 1.

A conventional coin-actuated circuit closing device 51 ismounted on--thefront wall of the cooler box over the hood 48, athermostatically-controlled electric switch 52 is lmounted on the bin12, and a mercury tilt-switch 53 is mounted on a switch arm 54projecting from the scale shaft 32. The thermostatically-controlledswitch 52. is connected in the operating circuit of the ice cube freezer11 so that when thesupply of cubes in the bin 12 falls belowya-predetermined point, the temperature change will cause .the switch'52to close the operating circuit to the freezer .11. so that yadditionalcubes will be supplied to the bin.121until lthe drop in temperaturecaused bythe newly added cubes causes the thermostatically-controlledswitch 52 to open and stop the freezer 11. Thus, it can be seen that thesupplyof cubes in the bin 12 will be substantially maintained ,atapredetermined level at all times.

The coin-.actuated circuit closing device 51 can bel incorporated in thecircuits of the motors 26 and 18 infany suitable manner. One suchoperating circuit is shownin the diagram-of Fig. 4 in which asolenoid-operated motor control isincorporated having a motor startingcoilj 56 anda motorstopping `coil 55. The coils 55 and '56 actuateaswitch armature 61 positioned in circuit with the current supply tothetwo motors 18-and 26. TheV tilt switch 53 is placed` in circuit with themotor stopping coil S5 and the..coinactuated device is placed in circuitwith themotor startingcoil 56.

Let us assume that :the bin 12 contains a supply of ice cubes and thattheproper coins are'deposited in the coinactuated. device 51. This willclose an electric circuit to thestarting coil S6 so that the armature 61will close the'toperating circuitsto the motors 18 and'26. The

scrolls 20 and 21 will immediately begin to pile ice cubes over theintake extremity of the screw conveyor 23 and the latter will operate toelevate the cubes and discharge them through the discharge opening 29into the scoop 30. When suicient cubes have been accumulated in thescoop to equal a predetermined weight, the latch bar 36 will snap pastthe keeper 42 and the scoop will dump the accumulated cubes into thehopper-46, which will deliver them through the chute 47 into the hood-48for the use of the customer.

The dumping movement of the scoop..30 causes the tilt switch 53 to closea circuit to the motor stopping coil 55 to open the circuits to themotors 18 andA 26 to prevent cubes from being deliverd past. the tiltedscoop and to return the motor controls to the normal coin-receivingposition.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may bevaried within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting'frornlthe spirit` of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what'is claimed and desired securedby` Letters Patent is:

1. In a coin-actuated ice vcube dispensing device, means' for deliveringa preset weight of ice cubes comprising: a

supporting frame; a horizontally positioned shaft rotat-' ably mountedin said frame;,an ice-cube`receiving scoop eccentrically mountedon saidshaft; a latchbar pivotally` mounted on said'scoop; means Ion said scoopAfor limiting the upward mo ement of the first extremityof said latchbar; spring'means resisting Ithe upward-movement of the second extremityof said latch bar; a keeper member supported from said frame belowand inthe path of 'said second extremity and acting to normallysupport'saidscoop in ai horizontal cube-receiving position'untilthe.

weight in said scoop is suflicientto tilt said latchbar against the biasofsaid spring sol as to allow the second' extremity to pass saidkeepermemberV and allow said scoop to swing downwardly to adumpingpositiongmeans for returning said scoop to the cube-rece1ving position,

said keeper'member being-pivotally supportedfinla sub-`v stantiallyvertical position, lwith the latch bar restingV upon its upperextremity;and'means for fvarying'the pivotal position ofsaidkeepermember so as to adjust the degree of engagement of said latchbar therewith;

2. Means for-deliveringl a'ipreset weight vof ice cubes-asV described inclaim l -inhwhich the meansffor varying the'- pivotal position of saidkeeper member comprises a set# screw positioned to engage the lowerextremity'of" said keeper Lmember so that rotationv of said screw willvary the position of the upper` extremity of said-l keeper 'mehr ber.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 297,027Smyser Apr. 1'5, 1884 351,377 Hershey et al. Oct. 26, 1886 375,515 TryonDec. A27, 1887 499,223 Gorringe June 13, 1893 585,785 Reisert July 6,1897 1,256,193 Anderson Feb. l2, 1918 1,606,082 Kirchoi Nov. 9, 19261,660,109 Ward Feb. 21, 1928- 1,980,57l lBrach Nov. 13, 1934 2,449,132Lucia Sept. 14, 1948 2,529,394 Hull Nov. 7, 1950 2,544,210 Zenke Mar. 6,1951 2,645,092 Ridnour July 14, 1953

